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Mariana Garcia
Professor Ditch
English 113B
8 May 2015
Constructing My Identity Through Cultural Perspectives
Expressing my culture means understanding my identity. My everyday life is a part of
who I am and it is important that I distinguish my identity because it is ultimately a steppingstone into the person I am yet to become. Cultural norms can make it difficult for an individual to
construct ones identity. Identity norms are altered by social media, which makes it challenging
to construct my identity permanently because it constantly has to be adjusted to fit the social
norms. The cultures that define the person I am today are the following: the academic culture,
being Latina, and performing a masculine gender. My familys traditional Latino standards
pressure me to perform femininity because that is the cultural norm that most Latinos have in
their household. Even though I am a nonconformist by presenting myself as a masculine woman,
there is always an expectation from my familys Latino culture to perform femininity because of
my biological sex.
In my Latino culture, there are many things most Latinos celebrate and believe in. A
traditional cultural norm that most Latinos practice is that the male is the source of income and
the female is the housekeeper who stays home to cook and clean. The roles of most Latina
women are seen as feminine traits because cooking and cleaning are viewed as womens
responsibilities. I dont conform to these standards because I dont perform in a feminine way
and I take more pride in working instead of depending on others. I can relate to the article, My
Hips, My Caderas by Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez as she describes her constant battle trying to

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figure out an identity that will please her as well as her American and Hispanic cultures.
Rodriguez states, As I shift halves of my soul daily to match whichever cultural backdrop I
happen to face, I also carefully prepare myself for how differently my womanly/fat hips will be
treated in my two realities (74). Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez explains how she is part of the
American and Hispanic cultures, which have different views on how a womans body should
appear. She drastically has to constantly change the way she behaves when shes around her
mothers side of the family and her fathers side of the family. This article relates to my situation
because it is also difficult for me to construct my identity when I frequently have to change my
way of being around my family. The different environments that surround me can cause me to
perform a certain way and make it difficult to establish my identity.
The space or environment can change the way a person behaves. My college culture is
where I perform as a responsible masculine student and where I can speak with my classmates
about relevant subjects. At home it would be completely different because the way I speak to my
parents differs from the way I communicate with my colleagues. I dont speak to my parents
about my homework or about the lectures that were given by professors because my college
culture is different from the way I perform at home. Being able to have college be a part of my
culture is seen as a masculine characteristic because women shouldnt be worrying about their
education according to my familys Latino culture. The womens role is to stay at home and
accomplish their chores and if not they would be seen as a nonconformist by not following this
cultural norm. According to the article, Self-Identity and Culture, Ronald L. Jackson II, Cerise
L. Glenn, and Kesha Morant Williams state, Regardless of their properties, spaces have a
tremendous influence on how people think about their identity psychologically and socially
(120). The authors clarify how the spaces and places impact ones identity. The spaces where I

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spend most of my time become part of my culture because it defines who I am and it becomes
part of my everyday life. I choose to attend college to become successful in the future even
though Im rebelling against my cultural norms. My gender has a big part of how I perform in
different environments.
People might define sex and gender with the same definition, but clearly they are
completely different terms. According to the article, Doing Gender Candace and Zimmerman
state, Sex, we told students, was what was ascribed by biology: anatomy, hormones, and
physiology. Gender, we said, was an achieved status: that which is constructed through
psychological, cultural, and social means (125). The authors state that individuals are born
sexed but not gendered, which means that one has to construct their gender yet sex is already
established when an individual is born. My journey on constructing my gender is what labels me
as a nonconformist because I choose to perform differently from other women from my Latino
culture. I choose to perform as a college student at my university and I perform as a daughter in
my house. The different locations change the way I perform. I label myself as a nonconformist
because I dont meet the standards that I am required to perform as a Latina woman. My clothing
and work habits are seen as masculine characteristics that I tend to perform, which label me as
different from other women. I would rather wear a t-shirt with tennis shoes and shorts over a
skirt with high heels and tight shirt, which is the social norm of how women are encouraged to
dress. Attending college is one of my work habits and it is seen as a masculine trait according to
Latino culture. I simply constructed my lifestyle based on what comforts me despite what
anybody speaks about me. I dont regret any of my decisions, even though I can expect some
judgments in my future; it doesnt stop from performing at my very best.

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Due to the responsibilitys Latina women are obligated to undertake, studies have shown
that Latina women one of the highest dropout rate. According to the article, Study: Latina Girls
Have Highest Drop Out Rate Suzanne Gamboa states, Schools must do more to recognize
cultural values that saddle Hispanic girls with family responsibilities, such as caring for younger
siblings after school, that take away from educational endeavors, researchers said in a report
released Wednesday (n. pag). Gamboa explains how Latino culture can be difficult to balance
with school related work and the results are that most girls are dropping out of school to conform
their culture norm. Fortunately, I rebelled against the roles that I had to fulfill even though I am
now seen as a masculine woman because of my work ethic. Attending a University is seen as
masculine characteristic in my Hispanic Culture. Women have to be the submissive sex in my
culture, which makes me a nonconformist because I am an independent strong woman. Even
though being part of the Latino culture does not encourage me to become an independent
woman, it motivates me to do well in school to prove to my family that I dont need anybody to
depend on but myself.
In conclusion, even though my familys Latino culture demands me to present myself as a
feminine woman, I perform the way that makes me the most comfortable which is performing
masculinity. If I were to perform characteristics that I dont enjoy doing then it would be very
difficult to establish my identity. Sometimes individuals have to seek change to really get an idea
of which gender is better suited for them. Drastically adjusting my behavior according to the
space I am in can be challenging but I will overcome these obstacles once I receive my diploma,
which will lead to financial success. Performing as a nonconformist by rebelling against my
familys Latino cultural norms can lead to a path of success as I increase my knowledge by
attending college and by taking harsh criticism from society because of my gender performance.

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Being criticized because of the way I dress can lead to a positive outcome because it shapes me
into a stronger person by not acknowledging what people say about me. Rather than feeling
depressed or angry, I smile at my enemies to let them know their attitudes towards me transforms
me into a greater person.

Works Cited
Gamboa, Suzanne. Study: Latina Girls Have Highest Drop Out Rate. N/A. 25 January.
Web. 19 February 2015.
Glen, L. Cerise, and Jackson, II. Ronald, and Williams, Morant Kesha. Self-Identity and
Culture. N/A. 117-139 Print.
Rodriguez-Valdez, Alisa. My Hips, My Caderas. N/A.73-75 Print.
West, Candace, and Don Zimmerman. 1987. Doing Gender. Gender and Society 1.12551. Print.